How does your garden grow – staging your Westchester home from the outside…

There is a lot of competition with Westchester NY homes for sale.   During this major housing recession we’ve learned that aggressively promoting the home from top to bottom is extremely important.

When I list a home  I tell the seller a hard truth that permeates this market whether you are listing at the high end in Scarsdale or Larchmont to a small coop in downtown White Plains.  That truth is that buyers are demanding and LAZY….Seriously, most buyers just don’t want to lift  a finger to do anything. The thought of sweat equity has been left in the dustbin of the bull market along with no-doc, low-doc and stated income loans.

Given this atmosphere – where buyers are skimming the cream and leaving the rest – we think often of bringing in stagers to achieve a depersonalized move-in ready feel to a home.   People make upgrades just to sell a home.  New kitchens and baths are often installed just to appeal to buyers.  But what about that all-important first impression?  Before people even enter your Westchester home?   Curb appeal is very powerful and if you miss out on plantings during this summer market – you are  missing an opportunity – and perhaps leaving money on the table.

The photos inserted between these paragraphs were taken  in Larchmont NY on a cloudy day.  The gardens were warm and welcoming – They enhanced the homes without detracting them or upstaging them.  Splashes of color here and there made for a terrific first impression.  Note also the use of hanging  baskets, and planters  near the  front door.  They add a splash of color while helping define entry.

Enjoy the photos and enjoy your yard.  Remember that these homes are not for sale – which is a reminder that planting a garden for you own enjoyment is job- one.  The fact that they enhance the home in a buyers eye when you sell it  – is an added bonus.

© 2011 – Ruthmarie G. Hicks – https://thewestchesterview.com – All rights reserved.